Help with Stock list for 80 Gallon Tank

[AllShamNoWow]

Hi Reef 2 Reef,

Hi Everyone,

I'm currently in the process of setting up an 80 gallon tank, dimensions 48"x20"x20", and could use some help putting together a stock list. There's about 80 lbs of live rock in the tank with lots of caves, and a 1" deep sand bed.

Plan is a mixed reef, LPS, SPS, and some softies.

I'm a big fan of wrasses, blennies, basslets, gobies, and hawkfish. Preference for captive bred specimens, and fish that won't outgrow the tank (I'd like to upgrade in the near future, but don't want to plan an upgrade when unsure of the date).

There are currently no fish in the tank, so I can completely control the order that fish are added. I also have a 29 gallon QT set up.

Current ideas:

2x captive bred clowns
1x royal gramma
1x midas blenny
1x longnose hawkfish (or flame hawkfish depending on availability)
1-2x fish for algae control (algae blenny, but would prefer a foxface or small bristletooth tang if they will feel comfortable in an 80 gallon tank long term).
2x cleaner shrimp
Some mix of flasher, halicoreus, or fairy wrasses, no more than 4 in the tank.
CUC of hermits, turbo snails, and a zebra conch.

Is there anything else I should consider, also, are there too many fish in the tank?


I'm also very open to substituting fish if there are better options for something captive bred.

 

[Besieged]

Hi Reef 2 Reef,

Hi Everyone,

I'm currently in the process of setting up an 80 gallon tank, dimensions 48"x20"x20", and could use some help putting together a stock list. There's about 80 lbs of live rock in the tank with lots of caves, and a 1" deep sand bed.

Plan is a mixed reef, LPS, SPS, and some softies.

I'm a big fan of wrasses, blennies, basslets, gobies, and hawkfish. Preference for captive bred specimens, and fish that won't outgrow the tank (I'd like to upgrade in the near future, but don't want to plan an upgrade when unsure of the date).

There are currently no fish in the tank, so I can completely control the order that fish are added. I also have a 29 gallon QT set up.

Current ideas:

2x captive bred clowns
1x royal gramma
1x midas blenny
1x longnose hawkfish (or flame hawkfish depending on availability)
1-2x fish for algae control (algae blenny, but would prefer a foxface or small bristletooth tang if they will feel comfortable in an 80 gallon tank long term).
2x cleaner shrimp
Some mix of flasher, halicoreus, or fairy wrasses, no more than 4 in the tank.
CUC of hermits, turbo snails, and a zebra conch.

Is there anything else I should consider, also, are there too many fish in the tank?


I'm also very open to substituting fish if there are better options for something captive bred.

Looks like a solid plan overall! You're well within reasonable stocking limits for an 80-gallon, though I'd keep an eye on territorial behavior, especially with multiple wrasses and a hawkfish.

• Wrasses: if you're doing multiple flashers or fairies, introducing them at the same time helps reduce aggression. A mix of three or four should be fine if you’re picking relatively peaceful species. Halichoeres wrasses can be great utility fish, but some get pretty big or aggressive. What species are you considering?
• Blennies: the Midas Blenny is a great pick but can be semi-aggressive, especially toward other blennies. If you go for an algae blenny like a Starry or Lawnmower, there's a chance they won’t get along.
• Hawkfish: Longnose or Flame both work, just keep in mind they may go after shrimp if they’re small enough. Since you want cleaner shrimp, make sure the hawkfish isn’t on the larger side when introduced.
• Algae Control: Foxface could work, but they get big. A Tomini or White Tail Bristletooth Tang would be a better fit if you want something reef-safe that stays smaller. That said, even smaller tangs really need a minimum tank size of 75 gallons and ideally a 5' - 6' tank to be able to accelerate and behave naturally. In an 80-gallon, long-term suitability depends on your rockwork and open swimming space.
• CUC: looks good, but if you’re going with a zebra conch, a 1" sand bed is likely too shallow. They do best with at least 3" to fully burrow and forage properly.

If you want everything captive-bred, you might consider a Biota Yellow Tang instead of a wild-caught bristletooth. Captive-bred Banggai cardinals or assessors could also be interesting swaps.

Otherwise, this is a well-thought-out list. Just be mindful of fish compatibility as you introduce them. What order were you thinking for stocking?


"Oh, I can't help you play better than Tiny Biota, that guy was great!"

 

[AllShamNoWow]

Looks like a solid plan overall! You're well within reasonable stocking limits for an 80-gallon, though I'd keep an eye on territorial behavior, especially with multiple wrasses and a hawkfish.

• Wrasses: if you're doing multiple flashers or fairies, introducing them at the same time helps reduce aggression. A mix of three or four should be fine if you’re picking relatively peaceful species. Halichoeres wrasses can be great utility fish, but some get pretty big or aggressive. What species are you considering?
• Blennies: the Midas Blenny is a great pick but can be semi-aggressive, especially toward other blennies. If you go for an algae blenny like a Starry or Lawnmower, there's a chance they won’t get along.
• Hawkfish: Longnose or Flame both work, just keep in mind they may go after shrimp if they’re small enough. Since you want cleaner shrimp, make sure the hawkfish isn’t on the larger side when introduced.
• Algae Control: Foxface could work, but they get big. A Tomini or White Tail Bristletooth Tang would be a better fit if you want something reef-safe that stays smaller. That said, even smaller tangs really need a minimum tank size of 75 gallons and ideally a 5' - 6' tank to be able to accelerate and behave naturally. In an 80-gallon, long-term suitability depends on your rockwork and open swimming space.
• CUC: looks good, but if you’re going with a zebra conch, a 1" sand bed is likely too shallow. They do best with at least 3" to fully burrow and forage properly.

If you want everything captive-bred, you might consider a Biota Yellow Tang instead of a wild-caught bristletooth. Captive-bred Banggai cardinals or assessors could also be interesting swaps.

Otherwise, this is a well-thought-out list. Just be mindful of fish compatibility as you introduce them. What order were you thinking for stocking?


"Oh, I can't help you play better than Tiny Biota, that guy was great!"

I would likely start with the clowns. After that, the royal gramma, CUC, algae control fish, and then the wrasses/more ornamental fish.

I put a tight fitting lid on to keep any jumpers in the tank (and to keep children fingers out).

I'll skip the conch- will vacuum the sand bed out and increase flow until I see a problem, then I'll re-evaluate. Would also like to add a tuxedo urchin- but don't want to overload on CUC.

Would a pistol shrimp/goby combo work with the relatively shallow sand bed?

I'm also open to dwarf angels- but heard they like to pick at corals.

Rockwork is available in the picture below. Think there's enough room in the tank for a foxface or a tang?

 

[Besieged]

I would likely start with the clowns. After that, the royal gramma, CUC, algae control fish, and then the wrasses/more ornamental fish.

I put a tight fitting lid on to keep any jumpers in the tank (and to keep children fingers out).

I'll skip the conch- will vacuum the sand bed out and increase flow until I see a problem, then I'll re-evaluate. Would also like to add a tuxedo urchin- but don't want to overload on CUC.

Would a pistol shrimp/goby combo work with the relatively shallow sand bed?

I'm also open to dwarf angels- but heard they like to pick at corals.

Rockwork is available in the picture below. Think there's enough room in the tank for a foxface or a tang?

Sounds like a solid plan! Starting with the clowns makes sense, followed by the royal gramma and CUC, then gradually introducing the rest to minimize aggression.

Skipping the conch for now is probably a good call, given the shallow sand bed. If you ever decide to increase it later, that could open up the option again. A tuxedo urchin is a great addition, low impact on bioload and useful for keeping algae in check.

A pistol shrimp/goby combo can work with a shallow sand bed, but they’ll appreciate more depth if you can spare it. Some species are less demanding than others, but at 1", they may struggle to burrow effectively.

Dwarf angels are definitely a mixed bag. Some pick at corals, others leave them alone. If you're open to one, it might be worth researching specific species and seeing if others have had success with them in mixed reefs. You might also want to keep an eye here or in your local reef club's forums for someone re-homing one that is known to be coral-safe (rare, but happens).

For the foxface or tang - how much open swimming space do you have? The rockwork looks well-placed for perching fish, but both of those need a lot of horizontal swimming room. If you’re set on one, a Tomini or White Tail Bristletooth would be a better fit than a larger species, but even then, a 75g is really the minimum for them to behave naturally. Any chance you'd consider a different algae control option, or are you pretty set on one of those?

 

[AllShamNoWow]

Sounds like a solid plan! Starting with the clowns makes sense, followed by the royal gramma and CUC, then gradually introducing the rest to minimize aggression.

Skipping the conch for now is probably a good call, given the shallow sand bed. If you ever decide to increase it later, that could open up the option again. A tuxedo urchin is a great addition, low impact on bioload and useful for keeping algae in check.

A pistol shrimp/goby combo can work with a shallow sand bed, but they’ll appreciate more depth if you can spare it. Some species are less demanding than others, but at 1", they may struggle to burrow effectively.

Dwarf angels are definitely a mixed bag. Some pick at corals, others leave them alone. If you're open to one, it might be worth researching specific species and seeing if others have had success with them in mixed reefs. You might also want to keep an eye here or in your local reef club's forums for someone re-homing one that is known to be coral-safe (rare, but happens).

For the foxface or tang - how much open swimming space do you have? The rockwork looks well-placed for perching fish, but both of those need a lot of horizontal swimming room. If you’re set on one, a Tomini or White Tail Bristletooth would be a better fit than a larger species, but even then, a 75g is really the minimum for them to behave naturally. Any chance you'd consider a different algae control option, or are you pretty set on one of those?

Would be more than happy to consider a different algae control option. If I can't provide a suitable habitat for a fish, I will not pursue it.

I would be okay to sacrifice the addition of a midas blenny for a lawnmower blenny, and add something else.

 

[littlefoxx]

Hi Reef 2 Reef,

Hi Everyone,

I'm currently in the process of setting up an 80 gallon tank, dimensions 48"x20"x20", and could use some help putting together a stock list. There's about 80 lbs of live rock in the tank with lots of caves, and a 1" deep sand bed.

Plan is a mixed reef, LPS, SPS, and some softies.

I'm a big fan of wrasses, blennies, basslets, gobies, and hawkfish. Preference for captive bred specimens, and fish that won't outgrow the tank (I'd like to upgrade in the near future, but don't want to plan an upgrade when unsure of the date).

There are currently no fish in the tank, so I can completely control the order that fish are added. I also have a 29 gallon QT set up.

Current ideas:

2x captive bred clowns
1x royal gramma
1x midas blenny
1x longnose hawkfish (or flame hawkfish depending on availability)
1-2x fish for algae control (algae blenny, but would prefer a foxface or small bristletooth tang if they will feel comfortable in an 80 gallon tank long term).
2x cleaner shrimp
Some mix of flasher, halicoreus, or fairy wrasses, no more than 4 in the tank.
CUC of hermits, turbo snails, and a zebra conch.

Is there anything else I should consider, also, are there too many fish in the tank?


I'm also very open to substituting fish if there are better options for something captive bred.

Only issue I see is that hawks have been known to eat shrimps!

 

[JumboShrimp]

Thankfully I'm redoing my two 150 gallon tanks, because now I can go with both a Longnose Hawk and a Flame Hawk-- one in each tank. My condolences to anyone that has to choose-- because they are both great fish! Lol. ;)

 

[shippoship21]

Hi Reef 2 Reef,

Hi Everyone,

I'm currently in the process of setting up an 80 gallon tank, dimensions 48"x20"x20", and could use some help putting together a stock list. There's about 80 lbs of live rock in the tank with lots of caves, and a 1" deep sand bed.

Plan is a mixed reef, LPS, SPS, and some softies.

I'm a big fan of wrasses, blennies, basslets, gobies, and hawkfish. Preference for captive bred specimens, and fish that won't outgrow the tank (I'd like to upgrade in the near future, but don't want to plan an upgrade when unsure of the date).

There are currently no fish in the tank, so I can completely control the order that fish are added. I also have a 29 gallon QT set up.

Current ideas:

2x captive bred clowns
1x royal gramma
1x midas blenny
1x longnose hawkfish (or flame hawkfish depending on availability)
1-2x fish for algae control (algae blenny, but would prefer a foxface or small bristletooth tang if they will feel comfortable in an 80 gallon tank long term).
2x cleaner shrimp
Some mix of flasher, halicoreus, or fairy wrasses, no more than 4 in the tank.
CUC of hermits, turbo snails, and a zebra conch.

Is there anything else I should consider, also, are there too many fish in the tank?


I'm also very open to substituting fish if there are better options for something captive bred.

I’m new as well but I think looks fine, the bristle tooth tang recommended tank size is 70+ so should be fine. I’m not entirely sure but I think u can do the bristletooth tang and the fox face together instead of adding another blenny cause I don’t think multiple blenny are ok but unsure. I never even thought about a zebra conch those are cool. You can also maybe do a sand shifting starfish.

 

[littlefoxx]

I’m new as well but I think looks fine, the bristle tooth tang recommended tank size is 70+ so should be fine. I’m not entirely sure but I think u can do the bristletooth tang and the fox face together instead of adding another blenny cause I don’t think multiple blenny are ok but unsure. I never even thought about a zebra conch those are cool. You can also maybe do a sand shifting starfish.

No foxfaces are huge, and I do mean huge, and tangs really need a 6 foot tank. I missed that in the post. Tangs really shouldnt go in a tank smaller than a 6’ to be honest. One blenny is best for algae in this tank